Children aged between 10 and 18 are growing sleepless nights, spending an average of 6 to 7 hours a day using some kind of electronic device, especially among metropolitan which can lead to negative outcomes such as social isolation, insomnia, depression, anxiety, obesity and it also affects mental health of an individual.

In a countrywide survey conducted by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) under the aegis of its Social Development Foundation, in the months of September-November`11 on `Tech toy addictions: A Rising Trend In Metros` has revealed children of modern era are growing sleepless night owls, spend their sleeping time with other things, watching television, playing video games, browsing computer and texting cell phones.

Easy availability of technology with lack of parental supervision is a significant reason for this ever-increasing menace of technology addiction, highlights the survey.

Activities like watching TV and chatting online have greatly cut into teenagers` sleeping time.

The teen sleep survey showed that 80% of school students are getting less than eight hours of sleep on school days. More than any other group (10-18 years old) of population they are the most vulnerable to such risks.

An aspect which emerged out of this survey is that children of working parents are found to be more technology addictive in the absence of parental supervision, as compared to those whose single parent is engaged in employment.

This trend is abundant in metros where normally both the parents are employed, reveals the survey.

The survey was conducted in 10 major cities of Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune, Ahemdabad, Lucknow, Jaipur and 2500 tech savvy (an equal number of both male and female) are randomly interviewed by an ASSOCHAM team.

The survey reveals that new technologies, such as cell phones and social networking sites, give teenagers easy access to their friends 24 hours a day.

Over half of those interviewed reportedly told that they accessed internet and mobile phones for over 7 hours/day. Significantly, boys reported excessive internet browsing as compared to girls.

According to B K Rao, Chairman ASSOCHAM Health committee said that school-age children and adolescents need at least nine hours of sleep a night.

Nearly half sleep less than eight hours on school nights. He also said addiction to phones is becoming common and youngsters feel under pressure to be interconnected and reachable 24 hours a day.

Rao further said that cell phones are not the only culprits of sleep deprivation, video games and computers contribute to teenagers´ inclination to stay up all night.

Nighttime media use like video gaming, Internet surfing and TV time with sleep deficits in teens

The trend of sleep deprivation is leading to many daytime problems for teenagers, including headaches, impaired concentration, weakened immune systems, crankiness, increased use of nicotine or caffeine and hyperactive behavior often misconstrued as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

The survey showed that 88% of the students are up late doing homework or studying.

Other late-night activities include watching television, surfing the Internet or chatting online

Around 86% of surveyed said they have a phone, music system, computer or television in their bedroom and two-thirds have all three. And one-fourth of teenage admitted that their quality of sleep is affected by leaving on the TV, video games, or computer.

Majority of respondent said that they keep phone at her bedside in case a friend called or text-messaged in the middle of the night. Sometimes, they receive calls or messages as late as 4 a.m.

The survey warns that excessive use of mobile phones makes teenagers more restless and can exacerbate sleep problems and stress. They also consumed more stimulating drinks, suffered from disrupted sleep or insomnia and are more susceptible to stress and fatigue than young people.

Rao further said that youngsters need to be informed of the negative effects of excessive technology use on their sleep-wake patterns, attention and cognitive problems and the associated serious health risks.

It buildup of tension from being constantly connected which creates the stress and disturbed their sleep.

The survey shows teens who sleep less than 8 hours a night exhibit risky health behavior. Over 68% of teens admit to insufficient sleep less than 8 hours.

Rao said that can lead to several health problems like loss of appetite, hair fall and poor concentration as short-term effects.

While they could also face health hazards like anxiety, depression, hypertension, obesity, anemia etc in long term.

Therefore they need to understand the consequences of sleepless network in order to have a good and more of healthy future.

Source: IBNS
Image: Flickr/creativecommons apdk